Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed the situation in Gaza in a phone call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the Kremlin has said, on the eve of an election in which Sisi is set to win six more years in power.

According to Reuters, the Kremlin said Putin, who announced on Friday that he too would seek a new term in March, briefed Sisi on his talks this week with leaders from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It said Putin thanked Sisi for his help in evacuating Russian citizens from Gaza and getting Russian humanitarian aid into the conflict zone there, and wished him well in the election.

Putin has repeatedly blamed the conflict between Israel and Hamas on the failure of years of US diplomacy in the Middle East, while aiming to position Russia as an important player with ties to all the major actors in the region.